This is my off-chemo weekend, and I was feeling pretty good. I looked in my garage and saw my motorcycle (a 2006 Honda ST-1300) that I haven't ridden in about a year. Today was in the 90s, partly cloudy, and a beautiful day. I felt good. I felt alive. So I decided to go for a ride. First motorcycle ride in over a year.
The wind in my face, the road in front of me, and my troubles behind me, it doesn't get any better than this (there's a song lyric in there - if someone uses it, I want credit - and money!).
I know that riding a motorcycle isn't exactly the safest thing in the world. If I become injured, I have to stop chemo while I heal. But - considering that I have had colon surgery and get toxic chemicals pumped into my body every couple of weeks, riding a motorcycle is the safest thing I've done in a while.
Plus, while I was riding down some lazy country roads, I could forget about cancer, staging, doctors, chemo, side-effects, hospitals, tests, and smiling nurses that carry pokie things. For the first time since I was diagnosed with cancer, I was living in the moment and not considering the future. There will come a time (hopefully in the far future) when I will no longer be able to ride. When that time comes, I can look back on today and days like this and smile.
And that's the point of this post. For those that are new to cancer treatment (like me) it's easy to forget to live in the moment. We all consider the future and dark thoughts are always in the back of our minds. Find something that you enjoy doing and do those things when you are in your off week and feeling good. Do something so that, for a time, you can live only in the moment and let your mind and emotions reboot. Exercise, hydration, etc, are all good things to consider for being on chemo, but you need more. Just a few precious moments every couple of weeks does wonders. Find something to enjoy and just do it (apologies to Nike).
